Get your gifts (and get them wrapped!) at the farmers' market

Every gift-giving season, we encourage readers to do their holiday shopping at the Ferry Plaza Farmers Market. Starting tomorrow, we're providing an extra motivation--we'll wrap farmers' market gifts for you at no cost! Our gift-wrapping station will be set up in the South Driveway, near Eatwell Farm, on December 8, 15 and 22 from 9 am to noon. Volunteers will wrap your farmers' market purchases of $30 or more in baskets, bags or boxes. Taste Catering generously donated 50 baskets (pictured above), which will be available on a first-come, first-served basis (limit two per customer). Ferry Plaza Farmers Market tote bags and gift certificate coins will also be for sale, and we will have holiday-themed trimmings and ribbon. Check out the Holiday Gifts section of our website for farm fresh present ideas >

Panel discussion: Is it Safe to Eat? ~ January 7, 2008

Join CUESA on Monday, January 7, from 6:30 to 8:30 pm in the Port Commission Hearing Room of the Ferry Building for a panel discussion about food safety solutions. Click here for more information >

Holiday benefit for Marin Organic ~ December 22

Join Marin Organic at 7 pm on Saturday, December 22, for a festive, locally grown holiday feast at MarketBar Restaurant in the Ferry Building. The eight-dish menu prepared by Chef Rick Hackett will feature products from Marin Organic farmers and producers. Celebrate the season, meet farmers, and support your local food community! For reservations, call 415.434.1100. For more information about the event, visit marinorganic.org or call Marin Organic at 416.663.9667. Cost: $95 includes wine.

June Taylor on KPIX morning news tomorrow

If you watch TV before coming to the market, be sure to tune into channel 5 around 7:10 am. June Taylor of June Taylor Company will be interviewed on KPIX's morning news program, and she'll be demonstrating how she makes her rosemary Meyer lemon marmalade.

Saturday, December 8 ~ Market to Table programs

10:30 am - Meet the artisan
June Taylor of June Taylor Company interviewed by Life Begins @ 30 blogger Jennifer Maiser

11 am - Seasonal cooking demonstration
Leland Jung of Alive! Vegetarian Cuisine

Saturday, December 15 ~ Root Festival

10 am to 1 pm - Root vegetable sampling
CUESA will be offering roasted and raw root kebabs to teach your taste buds the difference between a daikon and a rutabaga

10:30 am - Meet the producer
Grant Brians of Heirloom Organics interviewed by CUESA staff member Julie Cummins

11 am - Seasonal cooking demonstration and book signing
Lenny Rice (Cowgirl Creamery's Head Cheese Monger) & Brigid Callinan, authors of Fondue

All events take place in our Dacor teaching kitchen in the arcade north of the Ferry Building's clock tower unless otherwise noted.

illustration: Stefan

On October 30, a group of 44 fourth graders from Town School for Boys visited the Ferry Plaza Farmers Market for a field trip. The thank-you letters they wrote have brought a lot of joy to us here in the CUESA office, and we thought we'd share a few of their notes and illustrations with our readers.

Dear Farmer’s,
I had a really good time at the farmers market. I thought that the smoked salmon and the information about bugs was good. I think being a farmer would be very, very hard. I hope that you bring in a very good harvest this fall and the rest of the year.
Sincerely,
Sean

To our friends at the Farmers’ Market-
I liked visiting your market today. It was lots of fun. My favorite part was tasting and looking at the apples. I never knew how many types of apples there were! My favorite fruit was the blackberrys.
Jackson
P.S. I liked the food!!!

Dear Farmers,
Thank you so so much for letting us come to the farmers market!! I really enjoyed the trip. All the fresh foods were such a treat for my taste buds!! My favorite foods were the apples, potatoes, peppers & more. I will defintly come again.
Sincerely,
Abe

Dear farmers,
Your food was so good! Thank you for having us at the farmers market. I had a great time tasting your food. There was so many good fruits and vegetables. My favorite part was seeing and tasting new foods I never heard of. I hope we can go back to the farmers market again!
Sincerely,
Aaron

illustration: Henry

Dear our friends at the farmers’ market,
Thank you for selling fresh food and organic goods. You are a nice bunch of people and very hard workers. I love going to the farmers market because there is so much food and goods. My favorite food there are the grapes. Also thank you for doing this I rather go to the farmers market than the grocery store. Thanks again.
Your customer,
Henry

Dear Farmers,
I had a lot of fun at your market. There were a lot of things to look at. It is amazing that food can be so good, even when it’s being grown from under ground or from bushes. When I was smaller, I thought that fruit tasted really bad. But now that I’m older it’s a ton better.
Your friend Mattie

illustration: Mike C.

Dear friends at the farmer’s market,
Hello, Michael here, I really enjoyed the farmer’s market. I really appreciate all the really tasty crops, fruits, and vegetables you grew all for us, thank you.
Sincerely,
Mike C.

Dear Farmers Market,
Thank you for answering all are questions. The food was great. You are growing all your food very well. My granfather is a farmer, too. It was very interesting. It much be hard working on a farm. Mostly waking up early and going to sleep late. Everything is good. So ceep up the good work.
Thakes again.
From,
Wyeth

This is the most up-to-date information about which sellers will and won't be attending the market as of Friday, when we send this letter. If there are no changes to a seller's status, they will not be listed. To find out which farmers regularly attend each market, click here. Please understand that there are often last minute changes--it's the nature of farming!

Saturday, December 8

In/Returning: McGinnis Ranch
Out: Ella Bella Farm, Bernard Ranches, Honeycrisp Farms
Out for the season: Yerena Farms, Lucero Organic Farms

Tuesday, December 11

Out: McGinnis Ranch (until mid-January), Happy Quail Farm
Last week for: Devoto Gardens

Seasonality Synopsis for December

PLENTIFUL/AT THEIR PEAK

Fruits: kiwis, cherimoyas, guavas, persimmons and many types of citrus including Cara Cara oranges, blood oranges, Buddha’s Hand citrons, mandarins, grapefruits, lemons, and pomelos

Greens and salad fixings: dandelions, mustards, collards, chards, kales, radicchio, frisee, chicories, baby lettuces, rapini and stinging nettles

Other vegetables: butternut squash, fennel, parsnips, sweet potatoes, Brussels sprouts, cauliflower, beets, kohlrabi, celeriac, and carrots

Meats: Dungeness crab, beef and lamb

Holiday items and gifts: wreaths, Christmas trees, pinecones, mistletoe, dried fruits, smoked salmon, nuts, cheeses, oils, and pickled veggies and fruits. Check out our holiday gift ideas and be sure to visit our gift wrapping station to have all your items wrapped.

WINDING DOWN/LIMITED SUPPLY

Pastured eggs, grass-fed goat, apples, pomegranates, pears, avocados (we expect them to be plentiful again come February!)

SAYING GOODBYE THIS MONTH

Strawberries, raspberries, tomatoes, peppers, fresh goat cheese, chicken

Recipes for December

Nettle Frittata from Mark Gordon of Rose’s Café

Crab Rolls from Chad Callahan, formerly of Fish Restaurant

Mexican Christmas Eve Salad from Laurie Mckenzie, cooking instructor

Spiced Apple Cider adapted from a recipe by Karen Bates of The Apple Farm

See you at the market!